It's Been Awhile

Hello dear reader.  If you follow me on Twitter, then you know I've been at it almost daily, working through lots of cool pieces.  I've taken to micro-blogging, precluding the need to update regularly.

My goals that started this The Flute Project have been nearly completed, or, actually, completely completed if I don't make finals in the Mid Atlantic Flute Society Adult Amateur Competition.

If I haven't already updated my dear reader in a previous post, I auditioned for and made the Capital Wind Symphony.  Rehearsals start on September 17th.  It'll be great playing in an ensemble again.  I was also asked to sub for the NIH Community Orchestra on a Borodin symphony, which was a lot of fun.

I made and sent in my recording for the preliminary round of the competition.  I'll try to link to it, if I can figure out how.  I should find out if I made finals by the beginning of December.  The final competition is in February.

I've started using an app to keep track of my practicing.  It's called Compound Time.  It's elegantly simple, and it's social networking function guilts me into practicing as much as I can.  I am at the end of a week long (planned, kind of) vacation from practicing, and wouldn't you know I got an email chastising me from Compound Time?  I highly suggest you try it.

The highlight of the past few days has been a much needed visit from my bestie from Louisville, Nichole.  She flew in Thursday.  Friday, we went to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware.  My pasty white skin needed the sun.  That evening, we went to Central for dinner, and, wouldn't ya know, the chef himself, M Michel Richard, was seated at the table next to us.  He was very friendly.  He poured his brandy into Nichole's wine glass!

Work is going well.  I increased my popularity amongst the office staff, perhaps only temporarily, by having a BBQ at my home yesterday.  The turn out was good, and everyone seemed to have a great time.  Keith and I took some of the leftovers to a women's shelter in town yesterday.

My daily practice currently consists of the following:

Reichert Daily Exercises
T and G EJ 4 (slow and fast scales)
Andersen op 15 - currently trying to get #3 up to tempo.  It's cray-cray.
Orchestral excerpts - currently Mahler Song of the Earth and Stravinsky Firebird Suite
Solo work - putting to bed Martin Ballade and working on Reinecke Undine.

So there you go.  I'm alive and well, as is the Project.

bit.ly/RBE4rp